FCPS will be off next Tues., when many States are holding their primaries and when presidential candidates from each party will most likely emerge afterwards, I strongly encourage each of us to get out and vote, because we can and because we care!

Our Chinese community is an up and rising minority group in this nation measured by wealth and education level. However, in terms of major offices holding or just political clout in general, we are noticeably behind other races such as Indians. Time and time again, we feel like we are treated unfairly or outright discriminated. Any soul searching and afterthought always leads to the conclusion that we Chinese, as a significant race in the world and this democratic nation, don't have substantial influence on almost all the major arenas, including politics, laws, entertainment, sports, and even education. We have to keep asking ourselves, why? why us? what can we do differently?

Time has come -- let's get out and vote next Tues to shape up our community and this nation, to voice our selections, to voice our opinion on Washington's politics, and in the end, to choose a leader we desire.

Here are some simple/common questions and my answers.

1. Why we have to vote?

Because we can and we care.

Reflecting the days and years we have spent in this country -- going to school, finding a job and settling down with kids (most of us), what are the end goals of all these endeavors? The least ambitious answer would be a decent life and a promising prospect for our kids. Yes, but all these won't come easy and they will be interrupted by our insignificant status in this country. We have seen enough evidence, from recent college admission to Mr. Liang's case. If you are like me, path to citizenship took quite some tiring years, let's empower ourselves with the rights/privileges we earned and make a difference. Of course, if you have pursuit for offices or filthy rich status, and/or bigger impact on people's lives, opportunities only present themselves in every few years.

2. I am too busy to make time for it.

Again it is about your priorities instead of your schedules. You can find out your polling locations here --

-- Democrats tend to favor liberal ideas, bigger government, more comprehensive welfare and more gun-control; they have easy immigration policy and favor common-core testing in the schools; small military and higher taxes for high-earners (surprisingly a lot of people from wall street are democrats).

-- Within democrats, Sanders are more socialist and anti-wall street than Clinton; free college tuition by taxing the rich; anti-establishment thinking (young people love Sanders because they have little faith in the government).

-- Within republicans, Trump and Cruz are anti-establishment; Cruz is part of tea-party movement (but former AK governor just endorsed T); Rubio is his party's favorite as he is favored to beat Hillary in general election and he is very conservative; Rubio's debate speech was full of hatred to Obama; John Richard Kasich is the current Governor of Ohio and his policy is more towards the middle and he got a lot of endorsements from newspapers and everywhere; but so far he was way behind the top 3 in the polls.

It matters if you get out and vote, for this nation and for the generations to come. To raise our social status in this nation, as a race and as a community, exercising our basic rights as citizens of this great nation should be the first step. Through check and balances from both parties, and involvements from the citizens like you and me, together we can make this nation great again.